AgCountry Farm Credit Services Awards the Williston State College Foundation $25,000

AgCountry Farm Credit Services Awards $25,000 Grant to Williston State College Foundation

AgCountry Farm Credit Services is proud to announce it has awarded the Williston State College Foundation $25,000 as a recipient of the Rural Community Grant Fund (RCGF). The grant funds will go towards a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) training program.

Cade Coles, with the Williston State College Foundation, is pleased to accept the check and utilize the grant funds towards this new training program.

"The CMA program will train and empower healthcare professionals, combining rigorous academic training with hands-on clinical experience," said Sarah Favorite, Healthcare Training Programs Coordinator for Williston State College. "It will greatly benefit hospitals and clinics in the region and we believe it is a wonderful addition to our college catalog."

"AgCountry is proud to provide grant funds to help them establish a new CMA training program on the Williston State College (WSC) campus," says David Hokanson, VP Branch Manager with AgCountry Farm Credit Services in Williston. With an increasing need for healthcare professionals in western North Dakota, and a huge impact from the oil and gas industry in the territory, the one-year program will allow local students to train, work, and serve the rural communities. The CMA program will be accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and will abide by standards and guidelines established by CAAHEP and the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB). The CMA program is projected to be fully operational and enrolling new students possibly as early as the fall semester of 2024. The new program and lab space will be in their current nursing wing located in Stevens Hall on the Williston State College campus until a new facility is complete. At that time, both the current nursing program and the new CMA training program will be moved to operate entirely within the new facility by the fall semester of 2025.

"The geographic area this program reaches will allow individuals to stay close to home for their education and increase the chances of remaining in the region to work. It will also fulfill the need for delivery of quality healthcare in the region," Hokanson adds. AgCountry believes it's important to give back to the community.

"The generous gift of $25,000 from AgCountry, to assist with startup costs for WSC's new Certified Medical Assistant program, for our new healthcare training facility, is the type of seed money needed to allow WSC to make great strides in providing a highly trained healthcare workforce for northwest ND and eastern MT," said Dr. Bernell Hirning, President of Williston State College. "It will also allow for continued population growth in The Bakken and quality of life enhancements for the future. We are greatly appreciative of AgCountry's generosity."

AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Services of Mandan, and AgriBank established the Rural Community Grant Fund to assist in the implementation and development of projects and programs in communities and rural areas in western North Dakota, which have been impacted by mineral exploration.

The Rural Community Grant Fund is currently accepting applications for future funding requests. Interested parties can apply at www.AgCountry.com.